• Aloha, now let the price gouging begin • Business as usual with most county councilmembers • Let’s prepare for peace, not war
Aloha, now let the price gouging begin
I found it ironic that so many people were upset over price gouging during the hurricane watch. Upset that bottled water was selling for two to three times its regular price. People said, “Where’s the aloha spirit?”
Price gouging is a year-round activity all over Kauai and the other islands, yet people seem to only get upset during hurricane and storm watches?
What about food trucks charging $12.50 for a hamburger on a paper plate? What about an ice cream cone for $7?
What about the airlines charging $250-$400 a ticket for a short, round-trip to Honolulu of less than 80 miles?
What about fixer upper homes on the worst section of the island going for $500,000 and more?
Price gouging is as common as Spam musubi in Hawaii.
It’s all about supply and demand. If you bust a merchant for trying to make a buck, you need to bust the airlines and just about every business in the tourism industry.
The aloha spirit basically consists of, aloha, give us all your money. Did someone say Superferry?
James “Kimo” Rosen, Kapaa
Business as usual with most county councilmembers
It is unfortunate that the majority of the County Council did not get a clear message that the citizens of Kauai want county costs controlled.
This week, instead of voting down a bill that will increase the refuse cost to a large number of residents, especially if you have a large family or maintain your yard, they chose to defer so that they could approve on first reading in two weeks.
Why even bring a bill to the County Council that has not been properly scrutinized. After all, isn’t that why the property taxes have become such an issue! The County Council meets while most residents are at work to pay the taxes the council levies on them so we can’t truly participate until they start meeting after 4 p.m.
Where are the bills that will change the way this county does business and become more efficient to include outsourcing services so competitive forces are able to keep costs low. Refuse collection can be privatized and each resident pay for the service individually to a company of their choice.
Perhaps the County Council can get the broken scale at the Kekaha landfill fixed. It has required additional labor to control the traffic flow with one scale serving both incoming and outgoing vehicles (it has only been broken for several months). There is a tremendous amount of wasted hours people now spend waiting in line to get in and out of the landfill.
Bruce Newport, Kekaha
Let’s prepare for peace, not war
Rep. Colleen Hanabusa wrote an editorial on the wonders and benefits of the West Kauai missile range in the Feb. 6 Garden Island.
I would urge Ms Hanabusa to use her position to help us prepare for peace instead of war. She says the missile range is a great asset to the Westside. Yes, the Navy has ensured that all the land around its war machine facility is planted by the big pesticide companies.
I am not so sure we should celebrate that great benefit? The Navy has locked up miles of public beach. Should we celebrate? Yes, the Navy has improved its environmental policies after countless lawsuits from conservation and environmental groups. The Navy (with the Army Corps of Engineers) has probably the worst environmental record of any organization in the U.S.
Not only does the missile range prepare for war on humanity, but they currently wage war on marine mammals with their deadly sonar blasting. Yes, the missile range provides a lot of jobs for California aerospace (war) engineers to come out here and work for a while. Is that an “economic boon?”
The more we prepare for war, the more likely we will have war. The missile range would make a great national park. Let’s prepare for peace.
Gordon LaBedz, Kekaha
